Muffy's Bridesmaids' Luncheon

Time for Local, Fresh and Friendship

Susan Overton and my mom gave Muffy Zimmer (now Greenbaum) her Bridesmaids' Luncheon this past weekend. My mom cooked a wonderful fresh and healthy meal for Muffy with all of her favorite things. Susan decorated with beautiful flowers, silver and linens. They made a good team! My mom made a salad with mixed greens, peas and shrimp. We roasted the shrimp in the oven and marinated it in lemon, olive oil, dill and garlic. We had a fruit salad with fresh mint, deviled eggs, celery stuffed with cheese and herbs and ham biscuits.

For dessert we had a Strawberry Cake from Westhampton Bakery (a local favorite) and a Charm Cake. It is a southern tradition for each bridesmaid to pull a charm from the cake to tell them their fortune. The custom of "ribbon pulling" dates back to time of Queen Victoria. A bride would hide small charms (distinctive symbols of romance, love, friendship, etc.) attached to satin ribbons within the icing of her wedding cake. The bride would have each of her bridesmaids pull a charm from the cake before it was cut. It was believed each charm had a special meaning, a bit of advice, or would foretell the future in luck, romance, fortune, etc.


The luncheon was a lot of fun and a great way to kick off the wedding weekend for Muffy. Best wishes, Muffy and Noah!

Crabbing!!!

North Carolina Blue Crabs!

I went crabbing on Figure 8 Island with all the girls for Muffy's Bachelorette Weekend!! If you have never been crabbing- you should do it the next time you are at the beach. It was so much fun! All you need is raw chicken necks, a net and some string! We caught Blue Crabs and then ate them for lunch. They were so delicious and fresh. It is a lot like fishing- we had to be quiet and wait for them to nibble on the chicken. You have to be really fast with the net and scoop them up!

Cooking them is easy. You fill up a pot of water and drop them in (alive) for 10-20 mins. The minute the crabs hit the water they turn red. We ate them with a little butter.

Causeway Cafe- Wrightsville Beach, NC

Local Favorite Breakfast Spot!

Causeway Cafe has been a local spot for over 20 years. You can arrive by boat or by car! It is a pretty small restaurant, so go early. But it is worth the wait! They are known for their Eggs Benedict (called Eggs Neptune) using local Blue Crab. I love their Malted Chocolate Chip Pancakes. They also serve Southern home-style vegetables and meats for lunch with a large seafood menu. Next time you are in Wilmington- it is worth the trip!

Gardening for Mother's Day

My Mother's Garden

Happy Mother's Day Mom! We spent the day in her garden planting vegetables and flowers. I can't wait to see the end result! They will taste so fresh and delicious.


Tomatoes- 4 different types, Peppers, Zucchini, Cucumber, Herbs
Blueberries!
She also has roses- but I can't claim them!

We used Farmer D's Soil and Organic Compost. Farmer D Organics Signature Biodynamic Blend Organic Compost is a Demeter certified biodynamic compost that is made using the organic spoils from Whole Foods Market as a key ingredient.
All the vegetables and herbs came from Farmer D's store. My mom got a few of the Tomatoes from the Farmers Market in Macon, GA.

Homemade Banana Pudding

Banana Pudding
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
NILLA Wafers
5 bananas

Preheat Oven 350 F. Mix 1/2 cup of sugar, flour, milk, egg yolks and salt- in double boiler. Cook 10-12 mins. Stir constantly! Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

1 1/2 quart layer pudding, wafers, bananas.

Beat egg whites. Add 1/4 cup of sugar- until stiff peaks form.

Bake 15 mins. Cool slightly and serve (or refrigerate)

*The Original Nilla Banana Pudding Recipe*

Peachtree Road Farmers Market

Judith Winfrey with Love is Love Farm

I spent Saturday morning at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. I bought Joe's Salad Mix from Love is Love Farm, which is 14 different types of salad greens including endive, baby kale and baby chard. This will make a wonderful salad for Mother's Day! Peachtree Road Farmers Market is in the parking lot of Cathedral of St. Philip on Peachtree Road. It is open every Saturday 8:30-12:00.

Please support Georgia's local farmers! There are a lot of great fruits, vegetables and food here. You can get local honey, cheese, meats, chocolates and much more! Also Kate Barney sells fresh bread from H&F Bread Co. It is a great way to spend your Saturdays in Atlanta.

New Dinners Added- Outstanding in the Field!

Check out the new dinners added on the website- in Ventura County, California & New York, NY & Santa Fe, NM! Please join us in the field!

I am excited about the Santa Fe dinner! Santa Fe, New Mexico's dinner is hosted by Farmer Tim Willms of Talus Wind Ranch in Galisteo, New Mexico. He raises lamb and rare heritage birds. Chef David Sellers of Amavi will prepare a wonderful feast.

Make Baby Cakes At Home!!!!!!!!

Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies!

I saw Martha Stewart make Baby Cakes this morning with Erin McKenna. Baby Cakes in NYC makes gluten free baked goodies! She uses agave nectar, coconut oil, and applesauce instead of sugar. They looked delicious- so I had to put them up here.

Her cookbook just came out today! Click here for Recipe. ENJOY!

Sweet Grass Dairy Farm Tour

Atlanta Chefs Tour Sweet Grass Dairy

The Atlanta Chapter of the American Culinary Federation and (Holly Elmore with The Green Foodservice Alliance, a Division of the Georgia Restaurant Association) took Atlanta Chefs to Sweet Grass Dairy on Monday, May 4. Some of the chefs include: Kevin Rathbun, Carvel Grant Gould, Ashley Epting, Jeffrey Gardner, Robert Gerstenecker and many more. Atlanta Chefs bonded over cheese making, lunch and a farm tour.

Sweet Grass Dairy is a 140-acre family farm in southern Georgia. Jeremy and Jessica Little work hard to make award-winning cheeses - made from the milk of their own goats and Jersey Cows. They are a sustainable, rotational grazing style working dairy that make their cheeses the natural, old-world style without the use of preservatives, additives, hormones, or antibiotics.





















We had a wonderful lunch at Sweet Grass Dairy made by Chefs David & Ryanne Carrier. Roy at Thompson Farm provided a Pork Shoulder for the lunch and Herman Holley with Turkey Hill Farm provided the vegetables. The cheese was delicious! Their handcraft and fresh cheese is unique in flavor and taste. It is hard to find such wonderful fresh local cheese in GA. Sweet Grass Dairy is making outstanding cheese that we should all support. It is important to support local farmers and buy local! Trust me- the flavor and quality is much better.

Some of the cheese I recommend are:

Goat Milk Cheeses

Fresh Chèvre--fresh goat's milk cheese with a tangy and grassy flavor.

Georgia Pecan Chèvre--soft-ripened goat milk pyramid coated in ground pecans and a white, bloomy rind.

Cow's Milk Cheeses

Green Hill--double-cream, soft-ripened cow's milk cheese with a white, bloomy rind. Very smooth texture and sweet, rich flavor.

Thomasville Tomme--raw aged cow's milk cheese made in the style of a French mountain cheese. One of only ten cheeses chosen by Slow Foods, USA to represent American raw milk cheese.